The Foreign Affairs department had a secret event to celebrate Ambassador Reid Sirrs and other diplomats who left Afghanistan on a military plane that was only half full when Kabul fell, according to government records..The Canadian military said the whole situation was embarrassing..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the department revealed in a memo that they had an “emotionally charged" ceremony to honour Sirrs last fall. .However, they did not issue a public announcement. On Monday, the department did not answer any questions..“On October 26 the department held a ceremony to recognize the efforts of public servants during this extremely complex and challenging evacuation operation,” said the memo Afghanistan Evacuation Recognition Ceremony. .“Many have demonstrated outstanding commitment in difficult conditions. It was an emotionally charged situation for all those involved and some still carry this emotional weight to this day.”.The department would not say who attended the ceremony, where it was held or why it was never made public..Ambassador Sirrs was reassigned to Buenos Aires. In his lone appearance for questioning at a parliamentary committee on March 21, 2022, Sirrs testified he fled Kabul because it was too dangerous..“We could hear explosions,” testified Sirrs, former director general of security for the foreign ministry. .“We could see fires all over the city. When we came into the military side of the airport itself it was very obvious the city was coming under siege and it became evident to us that a whole bunch of chaotic activity was taking place and was going to escalate.”.About 1,250 Canadians and many Afghans who had helped the Canadian military were stuck in Kabul. Flight records showed that Sirrs left on a Canadian Air Force plane that was only half full..“For us, when it came down to why not leave anybody behind, at the time it looked like the whole airport was going to be overrun,” said Sirrs. .“We saw a lot of military aircraft coming in, offloading equipment, offloading military personnel, and to us it just seemed to be far too dangerous for us to stay put and leave anybody in harm’s way.”.“We all saw on TV it was two planes after ours that the people were hanging off the airplane when people fell off it,” said Sirrs. .“So it was quite close for us.”.Eyewitnesses testifying at the Commons Special committee on Afghanistan said the flight of the diplomats stranded thousands..“We were the first embassy to depart,” testified Major-General (Ret’d) Dean Milner, last Canadian combat commander in the region. . Major-General (Ret’d) Dean MilnerCourtesy Al Charest .“That was very embarrassing for a lot of us on the ground.”.“They could have been a lot of help,” testified Milner. .“I know I was working with a number of them in the Embassy and all of a sudden, boom, they were gone.”.“Can you elaborate on the impact of closing the Embassy?” asked Conservative MP Alex Ruff (Bruce-Grey, ON), a former battalion commander in the Afghan War. .“They just added to the confusion and the chaos of trying to do the coordination of this mission,” replied Milner..“That was a huge challenge,” said Milner. .“We moved our embassy out way too fast, there is no doubt in my mind.”.David Lavery, an Afghan War veteran who rescued scores of people, said the Ambassador’s flight left “no representatives of the Canadian Embassy on the ground” to issue emergency visas. .“The Ambassador and his team, their non-presence had a significant impact,” said Lavery..Wendy Long, director of Afghan-Canada Interpreters, talked about how scary and chaotic things got after the Embassy shut down..“Canada had left too little time to do the job right,” testified Long. .“Any hope for a swift but orderly evacuation went out the window, effectively leaving thousands behind.”.The Foreign Affairs department falsely said all Canadians were safely out of Afghanistan before the ambassador left the country..“Our priority in these situations is ensuring the safety and security of Canadian personnel,” the department of National Defence said in a statement on Aug. 15, 2021. .“They are now safely on their way back to Canada.”.The federal government later admitted Canadians were stuck in Afghanistan. They stopped sending rescue planes on Aug. 26, 2021..The department sent out a travel advisory warning on Aug. 31 telling Canadians in Afghanistan to be careful. It said there are risks of being kidnapped, murdered, “terrorists attacks,” and street crime.
